The Layalina Review
VOL. V NO. 7, March 13-March 26, 2009 4Shabab features music videos by Muslim singers, as well as talk shows and soap operas. "Our channel is the new tune of Islam […] promoting dialogue and seeking to remove negative stereotypes of Islam and the Arabs," says Ahmad Abu Haiba, managing director of 4Shabab. 4Shabab’s transmission is currently available in the Arab world and Europe. The new television also presents game shows including one titled Who Wants to Be an Islamic Pop Star? 4Shabab is financed by eight Saudi and two UAE entrepreneurs. "I am not asking people to be Islamists," explains Abu Haiba. "I just want to pass on the right messages through entertainment." Abu Haiba introduced the now-influential Egyptian preacher Amr Khalid to TV audiences in the Arab world on a popular show several years ago, notes Gulf News. He also produced many of Egypt's women-orientated Islamic shows. 4Shabab is also an attempt to put Arab youth back on the right track, according to the Christian Science Monitor (CSM). Referring to other mainstream music videos broadcast in the Arab world, Abu Haiba comments on the discrepancy between the reality in the street and the image portrayed on the TV screen. "They smash our identity and confuse people, especially the younger generation. They give them a misunderstanding about their own lives." Mohamed Shawky, a filmmaker documenting 4Shabab's launch, says that despite the disconnect between music videos and real life, most young people aren't willing to turn on the channel. "It's possible that a lot of people agree with Abu Haiba's views, but that doesn't mean they will stop watching mainstream videos and start watching his channel." Diaa Rashwan, an expert on Islamism at the Cairo think tank Ahram Center, says that the idea of Islamic music videos is nothing new. "It is part of a bigger trend: In Egypt over the last few years you have seen Coptic singers, and movies produced and performed by Coptic singers, actors, and actresses," he points out. "It is a way for people to distinguish themselves from the society as a whole and to say 'we have our own way of life.'" Religious channels typically get a small share of the viewing audience, but video channels bring a much higher return. Experts believe Abu Haiba is the first to combine the two, reports CSM. William Ward, managing editor of Arab Media and Society, a online journal, says that 4Shabab may appeal to both viewers and investors not because of Islam, but because it is also family-friendly. "It's not necessarily about the Islamic nature of the channel," he argues, "It's just a more wholesome alternative." In other related news, a first of its kind religious TV station is due to be launched in Algeria by the government in a broader effort to enhance national religious identity, reports Judy West for Religious Intelligence. "The new TV station will air religious programs presented by Algerian Muslim scholars who will offer fatwas and preaching that are in line with the Maliki School adopted in Algeria," said Minister of Communication Azzedine Mihoubi. According to West, this seems to be part of a concerted effort to shift Algerian TV viewers away from the diverging views of the religious channels from the Gulf, as well as the popular Arabic Christian satellite TV channels. According to a media advisor, the channel is to provide a platform of moderation and disseminate the correct religious ideology. The international director of the Christian production channel Arab Vision believes the Algerian authorities are trying to present a moderate view of Islam to counter the effects of radical Islam disseminated by clerics and preachers on satellite broadcasts. However, he notes that “the reason why many Muslims turn away from the religion of their government is because they deeply loathe their government. That may also explain why so many Muslims in Algeria are interested in the Christian faith." The Ministry of Religious Affairs is encouraging prominent Algerian religious scholars and teachers to use this medium to speak against terrorism in order to reach the goal of "achieving security and inviting terrorists to return to their senses." The TV channel will at first broadcast for eight hours a day, then gradually expand to a comprehensive national program of specialized channels, including one for the Kabyle culture and language, another targeting children, and a third featuring scientific programming. The launch of Kabyle TV programs by the government is more an attempt at neutralizing the effect of Christian TV broadcasts than discouraging terrorism, concludes the director of Arab vision.
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Related Stories Countering Extremism Through Broadcasting Recent Issues Vol. V No.6: 02/27-03/12, 2009 Vol. V No.5: 02/13-02/26, 2009 |
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